Like everything else that we deal with in our lives, however, not everything is as simple as it seems. The key to a good steak is a matter best left to the professionals.

"All our meat is flown in from Australia," said Shanghai Marriott Hotel Hongqiao's Executive Chef Dieter Ruckenbauer. "We get two grades - one from Tasmania that is fed with less grain and more grass so the meat flavor is a lot stronger. You really taste the beef flavor."

"The other one is fed with more grain. The marbleization is fantastic but it has a little bit less of the meat flavor."

According the Austrian, diners at the hotel's Manhattan Steakhouse are huge fans of both styles. Guests show up expecting a great feed, and his staff is on hand to quiz them on preferences beyond how the meat should be cooked.

"We ask questions like 'Are you a steak eater? How often do you eat it? Are you adventurous?' What we've found is that everybody loves tenderloin (a cut between the ribs and the rump). People know where it is; it's a perfect cut, very lean, very tender."

"Personally I think it does not have as much flavor as ribeye (rib section) or the oysters (small muscle on the back), a muscle that is a little more trained. Yes, it has more structure to it but also more flavor."

When asked, the 33-year-old takes giving recommendations very seriously. To hear the chef who has been with the Marriott group for 10 years extol on the virtues of the various cuts is pretty much a food lovers dream.

"It is important to know what you are looking for," he said. "I've had the experience that some Asian women like steaks that are a little more structured and have a little more bite. These are normally ladies who go with sirloin." According to legend, this cut from the front part of the loin was so loved by England's King Henry VIII that he dubbed it Sir Loin.

The rib eye (488 yuan) was everything it promised to be. Lovely marbleized fat throughout the tender, juicy meat that had seen flame for just the right amount of time. Each bite was a pure joy from the gorgeous texture and squirts of flavor. The effects of resting the meat after cooking were apparent too as the muscle was nicely relaxed.

The steakhouse was everything it needed to be. Homey furniture, nice 1930s black and white snaps of the Big Apple, good selection of vino including four wines of the month (two white, two red); it was almost like a dining club you could find in New York itself.

Essentially, there is something timeless about the concept of a steakhouse, even among all the fancy culinary innovations of today. Cooking a steak properly is still a massive skill, and a true test of a kitchen's pedigree. Chef Ruckenbauer's efforts are definitely "well done."

Marriott
Address: 2270 Hongqiao Road
Tel: 021-62376000 ext 6633